Lentil Curry

1 1/4 cups moong dal, roasted

1 1/2 to 2 cups water

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground tumeric

3 Tbsp ghee

Pinch of cumin seeds

2 small bay leaves

2 red chiles

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 1/2 Tsbp raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coconut

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp sugar

2 to 4 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Wash roasted dal and bring to a boil. Add salt and tumeric. While boiling, remove scum. Cover and simmer about 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Be careful not to disturb dal during the simmering process since stirring may break the grains.

Heat ghee in a saucepan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, chiles, onions, and ginger. Fry about 2 minutes, stirring. Add raisins and coconut and mix in prepared boiled dal. Add cardamom, garam masala, sugar, cilantro. Mix well. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 16 to 20 minutes. If dal is too thick, add a little warm water. It should be creamy and thick, like pea soup.

(I used canola oil, since I didn’t have time to clarify butter. I didn’t have roasted moong dal, so I toasted the same amount of Le Puy lentils. I fried the onions, chiles, and spices for a lot longer- probably 8 to 10 minutes, adding the ginger near the end of that time, so it wouldn’t burn. During the final simmer, I ended up adding a lot of water, a bit at a time, to keep it the correct consistency. Also, I used more salt, and omitted the coconut. And I forgot the cilantro, although I did have some.)

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